My review unit was equipped with the Core i5, and it performed well given the CPU.Īcross all our benchmarks, the Galaxy Book was at or near the top compared to a handful of other Core i5-1135G7-equipped laptops. You can buy the Galaxy Book with either a Core i5-1135G7 or a Core i7-1165G7.
#Samsung flow is Bluetooth
Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 handle wireless duties. There’s no Thunderbolt 4 support, which we’ve seen on laptops around the same price. Two USB-C ports, a full-size HDMI port, and a USB-A port line the left-hand side, while the right-hand side is populated with another USB-A port, a microSD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Some of these apps might be useful, but for anyone who doesn’t want extra apps installed on their laptops, the Galaxy Book will be annoying.Ĭonnectivity is decent.
#Samsung flow is tv
They include Samsung Flow, a pen app that has no use on the Galaxy Book, Samsung Gallery, Samsung Studio Plue, Samsung TV Plus, etc. Samsung includes a ton of extra applications in addition to the usual support utilities. I find the Galaxy Book to fall on just the wrong side of that thin line. There’s nothing wrong with minimalist designs - HP has perfected it on machines like the Envy x360 15 - but the design philosophy can go too far. It has simple lines and angles and black keycaps with white lettering. The Galaxy Book’s bezels around the old-school 16:9 display aren’t that tiny, though, particularly along the top and bottom, and so it’s still a full-size 15-inch laptop.Īesthetically, the Galaxy Book is a rather mundane silver color that’s reminiscent of so many other laptops. The Galaxy Book is 0.61 inches thick, slimmer than the Aspire 5 at 0.70 inches, the Envy x360 15 at 0.72 inches, and the XPS 15 at 0.71 inches.Īll in all, one of the Galaxy Book’s greatest strengths is its thin and light nature, which makes me a little more forgiving of the laptop’s bending and flexing. More robust laptops like the Envy x360 15 and Dell XPS 15 tend to weigh four pounds or more. The Acer benefits from some plastic components, however. An example of a much more expensive laptop that demonstrates the same lack of rigidity as the Galaxy Book is the LG Gram 16 that’s constructed of magnesium, but it’s also just 2.62 pounds - in this case, you’re trading solidity for extremely light weight.Īt 3.42 pounds, the Galaxy Book is also relatively lightweight for a 15-inch machine, with the Acer Aspire 5 coming in close at 3.64 pounds. If you jump up in price, of course, then you’ll get much better build quality, but I think the Galaxy Book should feel more solid at its retail price of $900. The HP Envy x360 15 is around the same price as the Galaxy Book and is much more solid.
The Acer Aspire 5, a budget-oriented 15-inch machine that you can buy similarly configured for less than $500, had slightly better rigidity in the keyboard deck and chassis, although its lid was also a bit bendable. However, Samsung must have used thin aluminum to cut weight, because the lid bends more than I like and there’s quite a bit of keyboard flex. The Galaxy Book is constructed of aluminum, which usually results in solid build quality. Unfortunately, the price isn’t low enough to justify this many compromises, especially with so many other great options That sits in the middle of the pack considering the price, features, and design.
#Samsung flow is 1080p
The laptop features an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 15-inch 1080p screen, and costs $900. The Samsung Galaxy Book I tested was technically the “for business” model, though it’s nearly identical to the consumer model on the hardware side of things. But can a cheaper, more basic version of that laptop have the same effect?
#Samsung flow is pro
The Galaxy Book Pro came close, though, with its ultrathin chassis and vivid OLED screen. Samsung is more committed than ever to making a laptop that lives up to the pedigree of the Galaxy brand.